Tyronn Lue: Cavs Title ‘Meant More’ Than Championships Won With the Lakers

Tuesday is ring night in Cleveland, as the NBA championship Cavaliers raise their first title banner in franchise history, and head coach Tyronn Lue appreciates this triumph more than any other in his career.

Lue won a pair of championships as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers (2000, 2001), but says helping the Cavs stop a 52-year title drought is more meaningful.

“It meant more because of everything I had to go through,” Lue said following Monday’s practice. “I think the Lakers, when I won two championships, we were favored to win so being the underdogs going into the Finals, being down 3-1, going through all the things I had to go through in the second half of the season and our team had to go through, this meant a lot more to me than the first two.”

Lue sat on the bench weeping into his hands at Oracle Arena after the Cavaliers completed their historic rally from 3-1 down against the record-setting Golden State Warriors. And lots of things ran through his head.

“Just the way things happened with Coach (David) Blatt, taking over, the negativity that surrounded me when it happened, that was tough,” Lue said when asked about the emotion he showed during the NBA Finals. “I think also just my grandmother and mom going through what they were going through, not being able to come to any games.”